Walter King is pursuing a minor in geophysics while completing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. Currently, he is working on the VERNE project, a NASA sponsored mission concept to penetrate the icy surface of Europa and search for biosignatures in the ocean beneath. He works under Dr. Britney Schmidt and is responsible for the design of a tether spooling mechanism and contributes to the science and sample handling team as well. In the spring of 2021, Walter plans to conduct research under Dr.

Maci Harrell is a fourth year EAS student with a focus in planetary geology planning to graduate in Fall 2021. She has worked with Dr. James Wray on data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM). This past summer, she interned at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum analyzing Transverse Aeolian Ridges, a type of equatorial sand dune on Mars. Outside of academics, she loves solo-traveling (she has visited 21 countries so far!), figure skating, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and taking care of her pet ball python. 

Holt Thomas is a former EAS major who graduated in August 2020. He worked with Dr. Takamitsu Ito on the CIMP6 project in which he restructured and displayed ocean data. He also worked as a teaching assistant for CS1315 for several semesters, two of which he was the head TA. After graduation, he plans to return to academia to pursue a Master’s Degree in Data Science. Throughout college he has also been working as a professional balloon artist, entertaining countless children as well as adults.

Laurel Freeman is a third year EAS Major with a concentration in Meteorology. Her academic interests include severe thunderstorm development and short to medium range forecasting. Aside from academics, she is on Georgia Tech’s nationally ranked WxChallenge team, a member of the Association for Environmental Engineers and Scientists, a participant in intramural softball, and involved in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. In her free time, she enjoys reading, walking, cooking, baking, journaling, playing cajon, weather photography, and cheering on Georgia Tech and Atlanta sports teams.

Jackson Sims is a fourth year EAS major with a focus in meteorology planning to graduate in the Spring. He grew up on a farm in Palmetto, GA working with his granddad, which fostered his interest in meteorology as the weather always played a role in what they would be doing each day. He was an MSE major for his first three semesters at Tech until he heard about and switched into EAS. He has been involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus.